FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT ECOTOURISM - PAGE 4

A couple of years ago, says James LaValle of the Australian Tourist Commission, it wasn't unusual for prospective visitors to walk into a travel agency and realize they knew a lot more about the land Down Under than their agents did. Not surprising, considering the average U.S. travel agent sends just two people a year to Australia. But since late 1993, would-be travelers have a greater chance of finding someone whose knowledge extends beyond shrimp on the barbie and the Sydney Opera House.

The Green Business Conference, a three-day event leading up to Green Festival Chicago, will take place Wednesday through Friday at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. Topics to be covered at the conference include the role of green business in climate change; the state of the green economy; green jobs for the future; sustainability; and how to market a green business, among others. A tour of Chicago's Center for Green Technology eco-industrial park and PortionPac, an environmental cleaning company, takes place on Friday.

CONGO (BRAZZAVILLE) The second outbreak of ebola hemorrhagic fever in the past 15 months is occurring in the districts of Mbomo and Kelle in the Cuvette Ouest region in the northwest. This area includes the popular Odzala National Park, which is now closed. The area is being quarantined. GUATEMALA Public school teachers striking since Jan. 20 disrupted travel at the international airport in Guatemala City Feb. 25-26 and shut down the regional airport in Flores serving Tikal National Park.

COLOMBIA Already recognized as one of the world's most dangerous countries, Colombia has recently seen the kidnapping of two large groups of tourists near Utria National Park, an area known for its dramatic coastline and touted as an eco-tourism destination. INDONESIA Smog season has returned to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, and the haze created by illegal fires has spread to neighboring Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Rains over the weekend helped douse some of the fires and clear the air in Pontianac and Polankaraya, the Borneo cities most affected, but the rainy season doesn't start for another two months and more fires are likely.

In the war to attract diving tourists to South Florida, Dade County has won a battle of sorts by sinking two surplus U.S. Army tanks off Miami Beach. The M60s are the first of 100 tanks that several Florida counties hope to sink as artificial reefs next year. Instead of transporting battle-ready Marines, the 45-ton tanks, painted in black and green camouflage, will provide a habitat for a variety of marine life. Divers can partially enter the rear sections of the tanks, where the engines and transmissions were before they were removed.

By Larry Habegger and Dani Burlison, Special to Tribune Newspapers | February 27, 2014

French Polynesia: About 400 cases of Zika fever have been confirmed, and nearly 8,300 more cases are suspected. The mosquito-borne illness has spread throughout the region, with cases reported on many islands, including Tahiti, Moorea, Raiatea, Tahaa, Bora Bora, Huahine, Nuku Hiva, Hiva Oa, Ua Pou, Hao, Rangiroa, Fakarava, Tikehau, Takaroa Ahe and Arutua. Symptoms are similar to dengue fever and include fever, headache, red eyes, rash, muscle aches and joint pains. There is no vaccine for Zika, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends using insect repellent with DEET or Picaridin to avoid mosquito bites.

Travel and tourism may now be the largest industry on Earth, says the National Geographic Sustainable Travel Resource Center. An estimated 700 million people travel each year, and at least a third of them say they want trips that make a positive impact not only on the Earth's environment, but also its local cultures and economies. Many travel agents say the best eco-friendly vacations occur in Costa Rica, a land of such biological diversity its government long ago decided to preserve, protect and promote its scenic beauty.

A recent survey of America's active travelers suggests that even the bad economy and potential war with Iraq aren't going to slow them down. Nearly 7,000 active travelers say their travel patterns in 2003 are unlikely to differ significantly from those of the past two years, reports Outside Online. Their comments were collected as part of a survey conducted by The Away Network, an online provider of information about adventure travel and the active lifestyle that includes Away.

TRAVEL ON THE CHEAP: Budget Travel Magazine's list of the top 10 budget destinations for 2009 includes Austin, Texas, where there are free cultural events such as the annual South By Southwest festival, Washington, which made the list because of the coming inauguration but also because so many of the museums and monuments are free to visit, and Hawaii, where a drop in visitors last year has led to discounts this year. Abroad, Budget Travel recommends Mexico, Hungary and Iceland as places where the dollar goes further than it used to. Destinations getting ready for big events include Berlin, which marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall this year, and Vancouver, which will host the Winter Olympics in 2010.

"Authentic Ecolodges" Collins Design/HarperCollins Publishers, $50 In 1990 a dozen scientists, conservationists and tour operators from around the world gathered in a farmhouse outside Washington, D.C. These members of the newly formed International Ecotourism Society emerged from the meeting with a definition of the word "ecotourism": "Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local...